Starter motor.

[5lab]

ok me starter motors stopped working. started the car fine yesterday, i stalled about 10 mins later and it wouldnt do anything. not a battery problem cos everything else works. i turn the key and theres a 'clik' but no noise from the motor at all.. any ideas? im having to bumpstart every time i want to go anywhere.. bit inconvenient to say the least (fortunatly i live on a hill but godknows what im gonna do to get home from work tomorrow)...

heelp!

[Lowe]

The starter will need replacing sadly, they only last a few years on the C type engines due to the close proximity to the manifold. The heat just cooks them, though luckily the Volvo types are a bit stronger - hence why I use one on my GTT.

There are however a few tricks to get the starter to turn over. The first is easy. Put the car in gear and take the handbrake off. Open the door and rock the car forward and back. This can sometimes unstick the starter.. however you're on a hill so this could be tricky..

In which case we come back to my old favourite method. Get one large "implement" (screwdriver or hammer etc) and find the starter motor. Gently tap the start a few times, then try to start the car normally. If it works, great, if not, smack it again a bit harder. This 9/10 will unstick the sod and will get you started. However you can only do this a few times since you'll be dmaging the casing as well as the internals.. in the end you'll hit it and it won't start full stop.

So, get it changed and also charge your battery up whilst you're at it since you'll be putting more load on it when trying to fire the engine with a knackered starter motor!

[Tumble]

the motor on my old Daihatsu did that.. we ripped the bugger out and took it to bits - the brushes weren't contacting with the bit (cant remember the name... most frustrating) cos the springs were rusty that push the brushes up... quick whip out of the brushes and WD40 overnight on the springs, put the lot back in after gunking the contacts and cleaning.. hey presto, it worketh... the click you're hearing is the solenoid that engages the starter with the ring gear on the crank.

[Butuz]

the brushes weren't contacting with the bit (cant remember the name... most frustrating).

Com or Communtator (spelling?). If i remember?

Butuz

[Tumble]

that's it.. COMMUTATOR... hate it when you can't think of the word you want

[5lab]

actually.. turns out it wasnt that.. it was just the neg wire had fallen off its post. trouble is the starter motor is under the carb and really hard to find, so i didnt notice - i just thought it woudl be earthed to the chassis. had bumpstarted the car all weekend (drove about 600 miles total this weekend with 3 mates), didnt help, drove over some violent speedbumps real quick to try and jolt it into action - that didnt work either. so just drove it 3 miles away from home and called the aa out. mr multimeter is my friend

now i just need a carb. bridges have NO volvo 340s. at all. b*stards. im wondering if a carb from a renault 5 will fit (lowe??) but im guessing the amount the accelerator etc pulls will be all wrong. the current one is in bits.. any ideas? im not paying £140 for a new one.

[Lowe]

D'oh forgot about the old leads falling off, that happens on 5's as well.

Not sure on the carb being a straight swap, but I would imagine it'd be very similar so you could at least replace bits off it with a 5 carb. Obviously don't get a 5 turbo carb since they're different again..

For what it'll cost you to get one it's worth a go.

[Jiff Lemon]

The heat just cooks them, though luckily the Volvo types are a bit stronger - hence why I use one on my GTT.

Sorry to dissapoint but they're all pretty much the same. Lucas type 463 IIRC.

The later model 5's and early clios had gear reduction starters, which were slightly better (and smaller). Starters made by Paris-Rhone were the best - if you see one made by Iskra, run for the hills!

In which case we come back to my old favourite method. Get one large "implement" (screwdriver or hammer etc) and find the starter motor. Gently tap the start a few times, then try to start the car normally. If it works, great, if not, smack it again a bit harder. This 9/10 will unstick the sod and will get you started. However you can only do this a few times since you'll be dmaging the casing as well as the internals.. in the end you'll hit it and it won't start full stop.

Be VERY carefull doing this...... I've seen starters with the holes punched through them where people have got carried away! Also if the starter is a gear reduction type, it has permanent magnets inside, which are easily broken when bashed with a hammer!

now i just need a carb. bridges have NO volvo 340s. at all. b*stards. im wondering if a carb from a renault 5 will fit (lowe??) but im guessing the amount the accelerator etc pulls will be all wrong. the current one is in bits.. any ideas? im not paying £140 for a new one.

It may physically fit but the jet sizes would more than likely be different. Better to keep hunting than cause yourself more unwanted grief.

[Lowe]

Sorry to dissapoint but they're all pretty much the same. Lucas type 463 IIRC.

The later model 5's and early clios had gear reduction starters, which were slightly better (and smaller). Starters made by Paris-Rhone were the best - if you see one made by Iskra, run for the hills!

The gear reduction jobbies are what I'm on about Jiff - because they're slightly smaller, they're less likely to be effected by the heat. Volvos had these as standard.


Be VERY carefull doing this...... I've seen starters with the holes punched through them where people have got carried away! Also if the starter is a gear reduction type, it has permanent magnets inside, which are easily broken when bashed with a hammer!

Hence why I said gently tap it!

[5lab]

something else that probably helps on the 340 is the amount of room under the hood. you could fit a spare wheel in there! (oh look, they did..).. compared to what i'd imagine it looks like under a '5 hood, i would think theres a lot more air passing by the starter in the volvo.